Why Do We Have Different Nose Shapes
- 11 years ago
Check out why we have different nose shapes.
Researchers from several universities including Texas A&M, along with Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Iowa have found that the size of the maxillary sinuses below the eye, influences the shape of a person’s nose.
The larger the maxillary sinus is, the larger the volume of a person’s nasal cavity.
The study looked at computed tomography scans of 40 people.
Around half of the study subjects were African American or native South African and the other half were European American.
They found that people of European ancestry have maxillary sinuses that are an average of 36 percent larger than people of African ancestry.
University of Iowa biological anthropologist Nathan Holton, the lead author of the study, said: “by having these sinuses, that's what allows the nose to change its shape, at least in terms of width and independently from other parts of the face.”
Narrower noses might be an evolutionary trait for coping with colder weather.
Although the shape of a person’s nose doesn’t influence their ability to breath nasally, it does affect the temperature and amount of moisture of the air passing over the mucosal surface inside the nose before reaching the lungs.
Researchers from several universities including Texas A&M, along with Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Iowa have found that the size of the maxillary sinuses below the eye, influences the shape of a person’s nose.
The larger the maxillary sinus is, the larger the volume of a person’s nasal cavity.
The study looked at computed tomography scans of 40 people.
Around half of the study subjects were African American or native South African and the other half were European American.
They found that people of European ancestry have maxillary sinuses that are an average of 36 percent larger than people of African ancestry.
University of Iowa biological anthropologist Nathan Holton, the lead author of the study, said: “by having these sinuses, that's what allows the nose to change its shape, at least in terms of width and independently from other parts of the face.”
Narrower noses might be an evolutionary trait for coping with colder weather.
Although the shape of a person’s nose doesn’t influence their ability to breath nasally, it does affect the temperature and amount of moisture of the air passing over the mucosal surface inside the nose before reaching the lungs.